Contextualizing Articulations of Women in Pakistan

Abstract

Since its inception as an independent nation state in 1947, Pakistan has come a long way in many respects. Over the years it has developed a number of key economic and social sectors and has created a number of institutions from scratch. While rapid development and/or improvement is apparent in areas such as industry, finance, media, and defense, the same cannot be said for education. This sector has seen few gains and many losses. The latter can be gauged in terms of relatively low rates of investment in education, falling enrollment rates, high drop-out ratios, inadequate teacher training, lopsided gender balance, lack of political will and patronage, and politically motivated agendas guiding curricular design and development. While successive governments have vowed to address the ills of the educational system and have boasted about the increase in literacy rates, the situation on the ground does not support either the promises or the tall claims.